4-star WR who visited Syracuse football before committing to UCF reopens recruitment

Carl Jenkins Jr., a 2025 four-star wide receiver from Florida who had visited Syracuse football in the spring, is back on the market.

In late June, per recruiting services, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Jenkins verbally committed to Big 12 Conference member UCF. However, late last month, he de-committed from the Knights and reopened his recruitment, according to various media reports.

Rated in the top 750 nationally of his class by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, Jenkins visited the Orange in April. Also that month, he disclosed a top six of Syracuse football, Illinois, UCF, USF, Louisville and Mississippi State.

In recent days, 247Sports had a piece on Jenkins. It's a subscriber-exclusive article, so I won't be sharing details of it here. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if the 'Cuse staff shows an interest in Jenkins following his de-commitment from UCF.

Former Syracuse football target Carl Jenkins Jr. has reopened his recruitment.

Jenkins is a standout senior at St. Augustine High School in St. Augustine, Fla. As a junior, he caught 62 passes for 1,273 receiving yards, while scoring 16 touchdowns.

Per his bio on the MaxPreps Web site, through five games in the current 2024 season, Jenkins has hauled in 28 receptions for 354 yards and four touchdowns.

Jenkins has amassed more than 30 offers throughout his recruiting process. The Orange coaching staff offered him a scholarship in January of this year.

To date, Syracuse football has landed at least 30 verbal commitments in its large 2025 cycle, a class that hovers around No. 35 nationwide, per recruiting Web sites. 'Cuse coaches do have verbal pledges from several three-star wide receivers in the 2025 cycle.

Since officially taking over the program in early December of 2023, first-year head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff have focused their recruiting efforts on a variety of locations, such as the traditional Northeast corridor that includes New York, New Jersey, the Washington, D.C., region and the Philadelphia market, as well as states like Florida, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia.

Speaking of the Sunshine State, on September 29, word broke that 2025 four-star athlete/defensive back and top-125 national prospect Demetres Samuel Jr. of Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Fla., was flipping his verbal commitment back to Syracuse football from Southeastern Conference member Florida.

In early July, 2025 four-star wide receiver and top-250 national prospect Winston Watkins Jr. of Venice High School in Venice, Fla., included the 'Cuse in his top 16.

I'll certainly monitor whether the Orange coaching staff makes another run at Jenkins.